Giorgos Christodoulou, in plain English...

Communicator of Ideas | Author | Performing Arts Enthusiast

Διαθέσιμη και η Ελληνική έκδοση εδώ - Greek version available here 

In short...

Giorgos Christodoulou is a Cypriot communicator of ideas, author and performing art enthusiast.
With a background in electrical engineering, satellite communications, business administration and law, he spent more than 25 years in management roles at Cyta while actively contributing to European organisational excellence initiatives through EFQM.

He is the creator of the EXEMPLUM Project, a platform dedicated to personal and organisational development. Giorgos has published several books, participates in theatre productions and delivers training programmes on leadership, communication and continuous improvement.

He is also the co-host of the ForensiCast Podcast, a father-and-son podcast exploring ideas, society and current affairs.

In detail...

I’m Giorgos. Just Giorgos, because formality has never been my favourite thing.

The early years and studies

I was born in Paphos, the youngest of seven children of two hardworking parents, Neophytos and Dimitra, who raised their family through long hours at their small kafenion and souvlaki shop. From those humble beginnings I set off a journey that eventually took me from satellite communications and organisational management to writing, teaching and the performing arts.

Along the way I realised that, regardless of the field I was working in, one thing fascinated me more than anything else: communicating ideas.

I finished high school in Paphos and left the town, never to return as a permanent resident. My studies first took me to Nicosia and the Higher Technical Institute (HTI). Around the same time another long adventure began: football refereeing. At eighteen I stepped onto the pitch with a whistle in my hand, a passion that would stay with me for almost twenty years.

After completing my military service as a Communications Sergeant in Nicosia, I moved to the United Kingdom to continue my studies. I earned a BEng (Hons) in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Brunel University, graduating with First Class Honours. Soon after, curiosity pushed me further and I moved to Guildford to pursue an MSc in Satellite Communications Engineering at the University of Surrey, a decision that later opened the door to a career at Cyta.

Even in England the refereeing bug never left me. Weekends were often spent officiating football matches within the Greek community leagues of London, sometimes in mud, sometimes in snow.

In 1994 I married Maria, a teacher originally from Famagusta. Our marriage lasted about twenty-five years and together we raised three children: Panayiotis, Petros and Vasilia. That same year I settled in Larnaca, where I still live today.

Professional career

Most of my professional career unfolded at Cyta, where I worked for more than 25 years in both technical and commercial management positions. Much of that time was spent on the front lines of customer service, which is why I often joke that I ended up becoming a “rusty engineer”.

I led Cyta’s retail network in Larnaca and later the business customer services division, eventually serving as Head of Technical Customer Support for the Larnaca district until my voluntary retirement in 2024.

Cyta, in its best years, was for me a true university, a place full of opportunities for learning and development. During that time I became deeply involved in quality management and organisational excellence, working with frameworks such as EFQM, ISO9001, ISO14001 and Total Quality Management tools. I am also a certified ISO9001 Lead Auditor.

EFQM and organisational excellence

A defining milestone in my professional journey was my collaboration with the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM). Starting in 2003, I was trained as an assessor for the EFQM Excellence Award, and later served as a Lead Assessor, leading teams that assessed organisations across Europe.

Over nearly two decades this experience allowed me to visit and study some of the most impressive organisations in Europe, from the Atlantic coast of Portugal to the Ural region at the edge of Siberia. It was a remarkable school of leadership, innovation and organisational excellence.

The EXEMPLUM Project

Through these experiences I gradually developed a strong belief: development, whether in organisations or in personal life, is the result of continuous improvement.

This idea, deeply rooted in the EFQM philosophy, eventually inspired the creation of the EXEMPLUM Project, a platform through which I share ideas, experiences and tools that help people and organisations grow.

My own journey of learning never stopped. In 2009 I returned to university to pursue an MBA in Quality Management at the University of Leicester, which I completed in 2012. Later, driven by curiosity for a completely different field, I studied Law at UCLan Cyprus, graduating in 2021 with First Class Honours. I occasionally collaborate with the university today, teaching topics such as Public Speaking, Body Language and Personal Management.

Writing

Writing became another natural way to express and communicate ideas.

My first book, “Crime, Souvla and Filotimo”, was published in 2014, inspired by frustration with corruption and social decline in modern Cyprus.

Later came the EXEMPLUM book, “Take Control – Be What You Would Like To Be” (2018), a simple guide encouraging readers to design their own journey of personal development. The book was later published in English in 2020.

In 2024 I published my fourth book, “Nothing Hidden Under the Net”, a story that combines action, learning and curiosity, encouraging readers, especially younger audiences, to explore history, technology and social issues.

Theatre and storytelling

The performing arts had always been a childhood dream. As a boy in Paphos I spent countless hours in local cinemas. If you have seen Cinema Paradiso, you might understand the feeling.

In 2014 that dream became reality when I joined a theatre group in Larnaca. Since then I have participated in several stage productions and television appearances. In 2024 we created our own theatre group, “Fourth Wall”, through which we continue to stage mainly comedies and share the joy of theatre with our audience.

Training and education

Teaching has always been close to my heart. Since 2021 I have been a certified vocational trainer by the Human Resource Development Authority of Cyprus (HRDA). Over the years I have designed and delivered training programmes on personal development, time management, customer experience, complaint handling and quality management. Many of these programmes were implemented successfully within Cyta.

I have also spoken at international conferences including TM Forum’s Management World (Nice, France) and the European Organisation for Quality Forum (Paris).

Today I continue developing training programmes through Qualsult, an initiative combining quality management, education and human development.

Podcasting

In recent years I have also embraced podcasting.

Through the ForensiCast Podcasting Channel, which I host together with my son Panayiotis, we explore social issues, ideas and current affairs through long-form conversations. It is a father-and-son project that reflects our shared curiosity.

In 2026 we launched ForensiCast Broken News, a shorter and more satirical take on current events.

Personal life

Outside professional life, football refereeing was a big part of my life for almost twenty years, reaching the top national league.

I also discovered another creative passion: cartooning, after being introduced to the craft by cartoonist Petros Papapetrou (Pin).

I enjoy music, I play the baglamas and touberleki, dancing, reading, cinema and of course a good meze with good company and a glass of zivania.

Looking back, my journey has taken me from engineering labs and quality systems to writing, education and theatre. If there is one common thread through all these paths, it is the belief that ideas only matter when they are shared and help people grow.

Through the EXEMPLUM Project, that is exactly what I try to do: communicate ideas that make life’s journey a little simpler, more creative and more interesting.